Since gold was discovered to be retrievable from rivers, lakes, streams and similar water passways, a "gold pan" has been used to separate the gold from other sediments which may also be present in the water and sand. As the pan is moved through the water or along the bed of a water passway, any object in the water or on the bed can be held and brought above the surface for inspection and removal of any gold that might be present. Once the water and/or sediment/sand has been collected into the pan by slightly shaking the pan from side-to-side, the objects within separate. The lighter objects float to the top of the water while the heavier objects, such as gold, sink to the bottom of the pan. Thus, allowing the gold to be distinguished from the invaluable objects that are also present in the sand and water.
Most conventional pan designs have relied on the dimensions of a simple pan. Incorporating a circular design having a larger outer perimeter that tapers into a smaller inner perimeter. There is no set standard size for a gold pan but commonly a diameter of between 10 and 18 inches has been relied upon to be most effective.
A gold pan can be made of almost any substance as long as the substance is waterproof, not water soluble and has the strength that is necessary to maintain rigidity when the water and the sand is being held within. Some pan designs have included ridges or other similar ideas to assist in the separating of the gold from the unwanted objects present.
A search of prior art in catalogs and industry periodicals did not disclose any gold pans that read directly on the claims of the instant application. In particular, a design of a gold pan that incorporates a gold trap that functions in combination with a gold settling trough was not found.